Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah “categorically” denied any involvement in the Beirut explosion in his first appearance since the blast.
Nasrallah, who has led the terrorist group since 1992, delivered a speech on Friday in which he addressed the massive explosion that has killed at least 157 people, injured more than 5,000, and rendered hundreds of thousands of Lebanese homeless. The blast is estimated to be 10% of the intensity of the nuclear bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.
“I would like to absolutely, categorically rule out anything belonging to us at the port. No weapons, no missiles, or bombs or rifles or even a bullet or ammonium nitrate,” said Nasrallah, according to the Times of Israel. “No cache, no nothing. Not now, not ever.”
While the exact cause of the blast is still under investigation, it is believed that some 3,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut for the past six years are to blame for the explosion, although what sparked the initial fire is still unclear. An unspecified number of port officials have been placed under house arrest pending an investigation by Lebanese authorities.
While President Trump initially called the blast an “attack” and said he was advised by the military that it appeared to be the work of a bomb, officials in Lebanon have cast doubt on that assertion. However, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Friday that authorities are investigating all angles of the tragedy and wouldn’t rule out an attack of some sort.
“The cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act,” said Aoun, noting that there are three levels to the investigation. “First, how the explosive material entered and was stored … second, whether the explosion was a result of negligence or an accident … and third, the possibility that there was external interference.”
While Hezbollah has both paramilitary and political wings, it is labeled a foreign terrorist organization in its totality by the U.S., the United Kingdom, and, most recently, Germany. Other countries have designated just its military wing as a terrorist organization. The group is part of the country’s ruling March 8 Alliance.
Nasrallah on Friday said that his group is more focused on Israeli ports than it is on Lebanese ports. The Hezbollah leader has in the past threatened to attack oil and chemical refineries at Israel’s Port of Haifa.
“We don’t rule the port or administrate it, nor do we interfere in it, nor do we know what’s going on there … Our responsibility is resistance [against Israel],” he said in the speech. “We know more about Haifa port than about Beirut port.”
Nasrallah also mocked Trump’s early allegations that the explosion was an attack and said that “even the Americans have gone back on what they said with regard to this issue.”
The Washington Examiner has reached out to both the U.S. National Security Council and the State Department for comment.
